Troy, Michigan -- You'll have to excuse us: despite all the models GM showed us last Thursday night at its Heritage Center, we can't tell you anything.
That's because an embargo has been put on these vehicles until the NAIAS, in January. In the meantime, we are forbidden to reveal any secrets.
That said, what were we doing at the Heritage Center, this gigantic showroom located near Detroit where all GM brands as well as past and present cars are brought together?
We talked about... design.
Design, inside and out
Design? Really? Yep, design is the new leitmotiv at GM.
Bob Lutz himself confessed: "GM had lost the track in terms of world-class design creation."
The American automaker's vice-president added: "We're producing the best vehicles in the entire history of GM, but if we can't create successful designs, nobody will want to buy them."
So that's why design -- inside and out -- is back at the center of GM's focus.
Beside the models showcased at the Heritage Center were prototypes of... cockpits. "Not so long ago, you would not have seen such things," said Edward T. Welburn, head of global design.
Still, the heydays of cockpits are a major cultural shift away. After all, Mr. Welburn continued, "when executives review the new models, what are they looking at? The exterior. What do designers want to work on? The exterior. What do we see on the cover of magazines? Again, the exterior. My dream would be to see a car interior on one of these covers..."
Like the United Nations
The models that we were able to get a glimpse of and that are going to hit the roads in the near future have been the result of GM throwing its conventional thinking in the trash can. Instead of partitioning, like it always does, the automaker chose to concentrate its operations by drawing from its global resources.
Independent developments and separate engineering are over. So are the regionalized tests.
The result? Most of the new products (we can't pronounce any names -- sorry) are kind of like the United Nations. For example, European architectures are mixed with Chinese designs, a few Australian performance bits and, why not, a Brazilian assembly.
No need for an alliance!
GM's global resources are plentiful, but the auto giant is just beginning to take advantage of them. "See? We don't need any alliance with anybody. In fact, we have our own alliance. On top of that, we don't have to argue about who gets what...", said Mr. Lutz.
That's because an embargo has been put on these vehicles until the NAIAS, in January. In the meantime, we are forbidden to reveal any secrets.
 |
| GM Heritage Center (Photo: General Motors) |
We talked about... design.
Design, inside and out
Design? Really? Yep, design is the new leitmotiv at GM.
Bob Lutz himself confessed: "GM had lost the track in terms of world-class design creation."
The American automaker's vice-president added: "We're producing the best vehicles in the entire history of GM, but if we can't create successful designs, nobody will want to buy them."
So that's why design -- inside and out -- is back at the center of GM's focus.
Beside the models showcased at the Heritage Center were prototypes of... cockpits. "Not so long ago, you would not have seen such things," said Edward T. Welburn, head of global design.
Still, the heydays of cockpits are a major cultural shift away. After all, Mr. Welburn continued, "when executives review the new models, what are they looking at? The exterior. What do designers want to work on? The exterior. What do we see on the cover of magazines? Again, the exterior. My dream would be to see a car interior on one of these covers..."
Like the United Nations
 |
| Bob Lutz (Photo: General Motors) |
Independent developments and separate engineering are over. So are the regionalized tests.
The result? Most of the new products (we can't pronounce any names -- sorry) are kind of like the United Nations. For example, European architectures are mixed with Chinese designs, a few Australian performance bits and, why not, a Brazilian assembly.
No need for an alliance!
GM's global resources are plentiful, but the auto giant is just beginning to take advantage of them. "See? We don't need any alliance with anybody. In fact, we have our own alliance. On top of that, we don't have to argue about who gets what...", said Mr. Lutz.
